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Thumbs down to U.S. Bank Arena and the City of Cincinnati

I don't think the Atlantic 10 could have picked a worse venue for its mens basketball tournament if they held it in Falujah. There is no wonder why the NCAA won't even look at Cincinnati to hold opening round games anymore (while Dayton, Columbus, Cleveland, Lexington and Indianapolis are regular stops).

* the giant scoreboard didn't work at all on Wednesday night, meaning at least half the fans in attendance didn't know the scores or time remaining;

* unless you are sitting at center court, sight lines in this venue are just horrible...and more than a few seats have cigarette holes or tears in them;

* more than one restroom had multiple out-of-order urinals covered by tacky trash bags;

* a halftime show on Wednesday night consisted of an Ohio Lottery rep who couldn't pronounce "Xavier" and an awkward 5-minute period where the music techs couldn't find the CD to play for some dancing mascot show;

* a bird flew into a fan in the rafters and literally exploded prior to the GW-Fordham game on Thursday, with feathers actually raining down on the court and the Fordham cheerleaders;

* 2 beer options (Bud Light and Pabst!)...No thanks.

And I still can't figure out why the Reds didn't open the Machine Room, which is literally outside the main gate of the Arena. Thousands of fans filing by wanting somewhere to go before, between and after games and it was dark with chairs stacked on the tables. Downtown Cincinnati may as well have been Lima, Ohio when it comes to entertaining establishments to visit and things to do - especially after dark. Pathetic display by US Bank Arena and the City of Cincinnati. I've attended the A10 tourney in Philadelphia and Dayton, the Big 10 tourney in Indianapolis, and NCAA tournaments in Dayton, Columbus, Lexington and Pittsburgh. This weekend in Cincinnati is a joke.

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